Kellam, Charles Roderick Judson
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MILITARY SERVICE Age: 24, credited to St. Johnsbury, VT Unit(s): 3rd VT INF, 9th VT INF, USA Service: enl 7/6/61, m/i 7/16/61, Pvt, Co. C, 3rd VT INF, dis/dsb 10/24/62; enl 12/7/63, m/i 12/12/63, Pvt, Co. H, 9th VT INF, pr CPL, m/o 12/3/64 for pr as Hosp. Stwrd., USA, m/o 11/6/65 See Legend for expansion of abbreviations VITALSBirth: 08/16/1837, Choctaw Nation, AR Death: 09/17/1924 Burial: Lakeside Cemetery, Heron Lake, MN Marker/Plot: Not recorded Gravestone photographer: MarillaW/Findagrave Findagrave Memorial #: 115291865 MORE INFORMATION Alias?: None noted Pension?: Yes, 6/28/1880; widow Mary C., 10/17/1924, MN Portrait?: Unknown College?: Not Found Veterans Home?: Not Found (If there are state digraphs above, this soldier spent some time in a state or national soldiers' home in that state after the war) Remarks: Kellam's parents, Rev. Charles Rice and Elizabeth Pearson Kellam were vermont-born missionaries to the Choctaw Nation in Arkansas. Webmaster's Note: If this soldier enlisted before 9/1/62, and was with the regiment on 9/13/62, he would have briefly been taken prisoner along with the entire regiment at Harper's Ferry. Read the unit's Organization and Service for details. DESCENDANTS Great Grandfather of MaryEllen Cecil, Plymouth, MA Great Grandfather of Peggy Kellam, Oneonta, NY 2nd Great Grandfather of Gretchen N. Braeu, St Paul, MN 2nd Great Grandfather of Katrina E (Braeu) Risley, Oregon, WI (Are you a descendant, but not listed? Register today) |
BURIAL: Copyright notice   Lakeside Cemetery, Heron Lake, MN Check the cemetery for location/directions and other veterans who may be buried there. |
Charles R. J. Kellam
Charles Roderick Judson Kellam was born August 16, 1837, at the Choctaw Agency, in Indian Territory. In 1859, while living in Arkansas, he anticipated the conflict between North and South, and his sympathies lying with the north, he relocated to Peacham, Vermont that fall. He started a book store there and later worked at the Fairbanks Scale Company in St. Johnsbury.
On April 15, 1861 he enlisted as a member of Company C of the 3rd Vermont regiment of infantry and took part in nearly all the battles of the Army of the Potomac up to the evacuation of the peninsula. Because of illness he was discharged in October 6, 1862, but enlisted in the 9th Vermont Infantry on December 12, 1863. He was promoted to the position of hospital steward and served in that capacity until he was discharged on November 6, 1865.
Charles spent the rest of 1865 and part of 1866 at Harvard Medical School in Boston, and later practiced medicine in Vermont and New Hampshire. He graduated from Dartmouth Medical Collage in 1868 and later moved to Lynn, Massachusetts. In 1876 he relocated to Heron Lake, Jackson County, Minnesota where he worked as a physican and druggist until his death there on September 17, 1924.Source: Revised Roster; Family information.
Contributed by: MaryEllen Cecil, Plymouth Mass. MaryEllen's husband is Charles' 2nd-great-grandson.
Correspondence
THE CALEDONIAN: MARCH 11, 1864
FROM THE NINTH REGIMENT
FORTRESS MONROE, VA. FEB. 23, 1864
TO EDITOR OF THE CALEDONIAN:
Lying in anchor in Hampton Roads to start for Newbern in a few hours, it struck me that I might write something that would interest some of your readers. And I don't know what would interest them more than to relate the conversation of some thirty deserters from the rebel army.
These men deserted from various Regiments of North Carolina and Virginia troops. Their looks certainly bespeak for them sympathy, scantily clothed, hollow cheeked, sunken-eyed, miserable, deluded men, as they freely acknowledge. These men have all been fighting ever since the war broke out, having originally enlisted for twelve months. One month before the expiration of their term of service the rebel congress passed an act, that all soldiers might re-enlist; in case they did not re-enlist they would be held to service during the war. At that time they were so thoroughly impressed, with belief they would soon conquer a peace that they cared little for, thus being forced into service. But as time wore on a "change came over the spirit of their dreams." Short rations (for the last year growing shorter), insufficient clothing and poor pay; their families suffering for articles that confederate currency would not buy, set them to thinking and then to deserting by the hundreds.
They state that there are two reasons that operate against their deserting --- one, many feel they cannot leave their families to the non tender mercies of the rebel leaders, another is the story industriously circulated amongst them that they will be forced into our ranks. Although many of them do re-enlist in our army, yet all with whom I have talked express themselves, as being utterly sick and tired of the war. Their rations when they left were one pound of bacon and three quarts of meal per day for six men. Some of them have been bare-footed for nine weeks. But the most astonishing part of their story is with regard to the utter worthlessness of the confederate currency. Some of them have on the coarsest of brogans for which they paid 40 dollars; boots $125. One has on a suit of ordinary grey cassimere for which he paid five hundred dollars. And yet these articles could be bought with greenbacks or specie at prices not unreasonable. These men say that anyone with C.S.A. currency is glad to give fifteen dollars of one dollar of greenback currency, and although such transactions are illegal, yet all are engaged in it from President to private.
I need not present our financial matters in contrast with those of the rebeldom, yet I cannot forbear to add my testimony in support of the fact that our men are eager for the fray; and coupled with a belief that this war will be ended in one year, is a firm determination that it "shall" be ended.
There is on every hand here evidences of the man who now commands this department. Two regiments of negro cavalry and a full battery are now drilling in sight of where I write. I wish some of those northern copper headed, dough-faces, were here to see how these "ebony-links between man and the baboon: perform military evolutions, it; it might be the means of getting a new idea into their heads. It is evident to the most un-military of critics that they take great pride in accuracy of movement. I asked one of the sable heroes this morning to tell me just what he thought of being armed and drilling. He took off his hat, and answered, "Well, Sah, I tell you a secesh don't like in nigh so well as we do, and if we ever gits in the fiel of battle wid um dey won't like it nigh as well as they as dey does now" I asked him if they were well treated by their "officers". "Oh yes sah,wese no fault to find."
You can depend on it that the "Corps de Afrique is destined to play no unimportant part in the coming campaign. But we are getting up steam and I must close. If acceptable to your readers, I may write again.
C.K.
THE CALEDONIAN: JULY 1, 1864
FROM THE NINTH REGIMENT
NEWPORT BARRACKS, N.C.
JUNE 16, 1864
EDITOR CALEDONIAN: --- I am not unmindful of your kindness in sending me so regularly your valued paper. It receives a warm welcome, I assure you, although of late it has been the bearer of sad news. I have eagerly run over the lists of killed and wounded, expecting and fearing to find familiar names; --- and I have found them-- men with whom I have stood shoulder to shoulder on almost forgotton fields. Their memory is sacred.---And death is busy here. I can but hear those three volley's now being fired over the grave of a fallen hero, the Orderly Sergeant of Co. D.
We have but little here to vary the monotony of our lives. We have been under marching orders most or quite three weeks, but we have not marched. The post has been broken up, and all the officers who were running it have been returned to the regiment, and consequently we are under command of Col. Ripley again. We meander through battalion drill every afternoon with the thermometer at 90 degrees in the shade. --- We eat our gurb and pour intently over any bit of newspaper we are lucky enough to get from home, and we wonder what is going to become of this heroic sacrifice. The old soldiers talk of the time when they will be called upon to re-enlist; and we all talk of the time the paymaster shall appear.
Company K. runs a museum, the leading wonder of which is a greenback bearing a motto entirely the reverse of our national one. The Newbern Times came today printed on (?) brown paper, which, considering the entire worthlessness of the paper, barring its loyalty, might have dispensed with (i.e. the doing of it), and thus saved, the brown paper for its legitimate purposes.
C.K.
P.S.----When the paymaster comes I'm going to send you a "rare avis," viz: One of the curiosities above named.
Submitted by Deanna French.